Avocado Soup

So when I was making beef tacos the other day (see below) I forgot to use the Avocado I bought to help class up my tacos.  It was already very ripe so I decided to make a recipe from one of my Mexican cookbooks. 

This is another simple recipe that only requires 5 to 6 ingredients.

It calls for a "rich" chicken stock so I added half a chicken bouillon cube to a can of chicken broth...it would be alright with just the broth.  Also you'll need an Avocado, heavy whipping cream, a lime and some cilantro.

You can peel an avocado easily by quartering it.  First wash it off.  Then starting at the top, slice into it with a knife until you reach the core and rotate the avocado until your knife is back at the starting point.  Make another slice perpendicular to the first and rotate around again.  

Pull the quarters apart and remove the core, peel that sucker, and you are ready to chop it into small pieces.  

Chop up some cilantro and slice your lime into wedges as well. This feels like St. Patty's Day...I wonder if he liked Mexican food.  

Put your chopped avocado into a food processor with 4 tablespoons of the whipping cream.  Process until smooth.

Pour your chicken broth (and bouillon cube if you'd like) into a pan over medium heat.  You don't want it to boil, just simmer.  

Squeeze a few wedges of the lime into the avocado cream mixture, and process a little more. 

Add 3/4 of a cup of whipping cream to the broth.  If you want the soup to be lighter you could do a couple of table spoons of cream and a 1/2 cup of milk. 

Let it simmer but do not bring it to a boil.  

Garnish with the chopped cilantro and pepper and that's it.  I'd suggest freezing some in an empty lime sherbet container and waiting for an unsuspecting victim.  

Enjoy!  (P.S. who knew sherbet didn't have another r in it? F'n weird....)

Chocolate Covered Strawberries for Valentine's Day

You don't have to drop a Ulysses S. Grant on a fancy arrangement from the Internets this Valentine's Day...show that special someone you really care by doing it yourself!  Or, if you've already bought a gift, make these together on for a romantic fun time.

And sorry about the Fraken-face...look a few posts below to find out why you should be careful in the Sun!

Enjoy!

Classed-up Simple Beef Tacos!

I can't tell you how many times in college I browned up some hamburger meat, threw some packaged seasoning in it and lopped it on a tortilla with cheese.  I called that a taco back then.  

So instead I'm going to show you how to make some badass legit tacos right?.  Actually no.  Crafting a sweet street taco that will throw a fiesta in your mouth all night long isn't for everyone.  A lot of people just want plain old ground beef tacos.  But anyone can class-up a simple taco by following these easy steps.  

Get yourself some ground beef at the local grocery, preferably 80/20 or leaner.  You'll need a yellow onion and some garlic to throw in with that beef while it's browning.  Grab your favorite taco seasoning mix off the shelf and stick it directly in your pocket.  You're an embarrassment to the cooking community and don't you forget it.  Finally grab a tomato, some cilantro, a lime and an avocado from the produce section.

Chop the onion and garlic and add it to a large frying pan over medium high heat. 

Tear the beef into small pieces and add it to a pan.  Shake a little salt and pepper over the meat and stir occasionally.  

When most of the meat is brown you'll want to drain the excess water and grease into a jar/container to throw in the trash.  Never strain the drain by pouring grease down it!

While your beef is browning, go ahead and chop your cilantro, tomato, lime and avocado.  Try not to be as forgetful as me…I left the avocado in the grocery bag and didn't discover this until I was already done eating.

Put them into little serving bowls if you're going for a Better Homes and Gardens look.  Remember, we're going for class here people!

I like black beans with my Mexican and I had already cooked some earlier in the week.  Cooking dried beans is cheaper and allows you to season however you prefer to…but it takes planning and time.  

You have to soak the beans overnight in the fridge and then simmer them for a few of hours the next day.  These I seasoned with garlic, cumin, paprika, onion powder, salt, pepper, and bacon. 

Or you could just buy them in a can…Hell you're already using a packaged taco mix…

Either way, you'll need to pop them in the microwave for a couple of minutes.

Let the meat get good brown and crispy.  Then mix the taco seasoning according to the directions on the package, and stir into the meat.

Slap a couple of store bought tortillas on a plate and cover them with a damp paper towel.  Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute.  

(You could also make your own home-made tortillas by visiting my second blog post and following the directions.)  

Slap some of the beef onto the tortilla with cheese, then top with the chopped tomato, cilantro, avocado and squeeze a lime wedge over it.  You can even add a dollop of salsa if you'd like.

Result:  Some bomb-ass tacos that aren't necessary authentic but look and taste much better than the poor college version that you still might be cooking today. Yay!  

Thanks to Ary Collier for making these one night and delivering me from my super lazy taco ways. 

The Sun is not your friend...

So a bit of a serious post today.  Not for the faint of heart.  The pictures below are somewhat graphic...I'm posting this because I think that this is a serious issue that people my age and younger don't often think about.

I am a fair-skinned person but that doesn't mean this should be shrugged off by all of you tanned Adonis' out there.  

I didn't make my first visit to a Dermatologist until I was 25. In the past two years I've had numerous pre-skin cancers frozen off my face with liquid nitrogen, I've applied chemotherapy cream to my face, neck and arms…and as of today I've now had two Basal Cell Carcinoma cancers removed from my face…surgically. 

  

It's called Mohs Surgery.  A microscopically controlled surgery used to treat common types of skin cancer and minimize subsequent scarring.

They mark off the area that they are believe the cancer is limited to.  They shoot you up with Lidocaine, a local anesthetic to numb the area, and then with Epinephrine which keeps blood from flowing into the area.  This limits bleeding during the surgery.  For those who are allergic to Epinephrine…they can literally expect a blood bath.  

Then they cut.

The Epinephrine causes the skin to bulge and lose color.

When they are finished, the carterize that hole in your head (breathe through your mouth if you don't want to smell burning skin).  Then they slap a bandage on you and send you out into the waiting room for 45 minutes while they analyze the sample. 

If there is no cancer remaining on any edge of the sample, then you can get stitched up.  But if cancer remains on any edge of the sample, they bring you back in and cut again.

  

Two years ago I had to have three cuts done. It took about three and a half hours. Thankfully today I only needed two.

Then it's time for stitches.  That takes another half hour.  They grab two pieces of your forehead, tug them towards one another, and suture them together. It is a weird and uncomfortable sensation, believe me.   

Then they put a pressurized bandage on you that can't be removed for 48 hours. They tell you not to exert yourself, to stay reclined, take it easy, and keep ice on it.  

This won't happen to everyone, but I'm here to say that the Sun is not your friend. Some of us it hates more than others, but its rays will bake all of our skin into submission over time.  If you've never been to a dermatologist…go to one.  If you don't wear sunscreen…consider lathering up more often.  

Dealing with sun damage can be expensive, cosmetically displeasing, and potentially life threatening.  Don't take anything for granted in this life…especially not your skin suit!

Brian's Bread-less Bruchetta

Here's an impressive appetizer that is pretty healthy and you won't miss the carbs at all.  All you need is a tomato, olives, Feta Cheese, fresh basil leaves, and salt and pepper.  Courtesy of Sir Brian Griffin.

Grab yourself a vine tomato, peel off the sticker and give it a nice shower underneath the waterfall located in your kitchen sink.

Use your impressive knife fighting skills to slice it into quarter inch wheels.  

Sprinkle a little salt over them…if you are super classy like Brian you can use a Sea Salt grinder.

Then take a little crumbled Feta cheese and spread it over your tomato wheels.

Roll up a few leaves of fresh basil into a little doobie, then chop in finely on a cutting board.  

Sprinkle those basil strings over the Feta.

Finally, chopped up some olives from your jar of olives…It will be easier if you use pitted olives…but it might taste more rewarding if you pit the olives yourself.  Or it might just take 30 seconds longer.

Finally, sprinkle a little pepper on top and Voila.  

Brian's Breadless Bruchetta.  Easy, tasty, and super classy looking.  

Enjoy